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Our story
INCAROYAL was founded in 2022 as a sustainable knitwear brand using 100% natural fibers, designed in the USA and sourced and handmade by artisans in Bolivia. The company was created to create a bridge between Bolivia and the rest of the world. Bolivia has a fascinating history as it was part of the Incan empire and many of the ancient practices and traditions of the Incas are continued today. Yet, today, over 60% of the population struggles to make ends meet including thousands of artisans, 80-90% who are women.
After seeing the ingenuity and the artistic talent of Bolivia’s artisans, especially in textiles, we knew we had to support them. Our goal is to make a difference by offering fair wages 3-5 times above the norm
Our founders are a husband-and-wife team, one with a Bolivian father and American mother and born and raised in the US, the other Bolivian and raised in Bolivia. They first met in 2013, at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Bolivia. After a 7-year friendship via long-distance, they did not meet again until 2021 during the heart of the pandemic. Fast forward, the couple got married and soon after they became cofounders of INCA ROYAL. Yet, our story goes further back to 2006, when our founder began his first eBay store selling discount apparel. It was always his dream to start his own fashion label, a slow-fashion brand based on sustainability and natural fabrics with no manmade materials. His dream was realized in 2022 with the launch of INCAROYAL
Mission
To provide consumers the most sustainable & highest quality knitwear made of the finest alpaca fibers for a fair price, while supporting indigenous communities in Bolivia including small family farms and artisans as we help preserve their ancient traditions.
Vision
To make the fashion industry more sustainable by teaching and motivating consumers to choose apparel products that are produced using 100% natural & biodegradable materials and using sustainable manufacturing practices.
What is alpaca?
The alpaca is a species of South American Camelid and a direct descendant of the vicuna. Alpacas produce fiber that is finer than wool, as soft as cashmere, and with exceptional natural properties. For over 5000 years, the alpaca has adapted to living in some of the harshest and most extreme conditions on Earth in the Andes mountains, where temperatures can fluctuate up to 50 degrees within a single day. Alpacas were famously bred by the Incas in order to product the finest possible fleece, creating an incredibly soft fiber capable of withstanding freezing cold temperatures. The Alpaca’s soft fleece was known as “lana de los dioses” or “fleece of the Gods” and the finest fibers were only preserved for Incan Royalty. Alpacas were nearly extinguished by the Spaniards with over 92% being killed. Thankfully a few herds were saved by communities far-removed in the mountains. Alpacas come in 22 natural and distinct color shades making them one of earth's most versatile natural fibers. To learn more about Alpaca, such as the different grades of Alpaca fibers and how Alpaca compares to wool and cashmere, click here.
Benefits of Alpaca
THERMO REGULATING
Water-RESISTANT
Breathable
Warmer Than Wool
Hypoallergenic
Odor Resistant
Lightweight
Renewable
Made In Bolivia
We are a single-origin manufacturer
Every step within our manufacturing process takes place in Bolivia, including the shearing of the alpacas in small indigenous communities, the processing of the fiber, and the creation of the garment by talented artisans. It is important for us to keep our supply chain as short and as traceable as possible, as we seek to become a carbon neutral brand.
1 ALPACA FLEECE
ALPACAS ARE CAREFULLY SHEARED IN THE SPRING
2 PROCESSING
ALPACA FLEECE IS PROCESSED, CLEANED OF ALL IMPURITIES.
3 ALPACA YARN
YARN IS SPUN AND DYED (WE USED MAINLY UNDYED YARNS)
4 TEXTILES
FIBER IS SENT TO OUR SKILLED ARTISANS, OF WHOM ARE MOSTLY WOMEN
5 DISTRIBUTION
FINISHED GARMENTS ARE SENT TO OUR DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN SANTA FE
6 DELIVERY
ORDERS ARE SHIPPED TO CUSTOMERS IN COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING
Alpaca is sustainable & renewable
INCAROYAL Knitwear is a sustainable apparel brand built on the values of ethical product sourcing, fair wages, and sustainable manufacturing of eco-friendly products. Sustainable, defines not taking more from the earth than what can be given back or naturally reproduced. We only source 100% natural earth-based materials that are renewable, biodegradable, and circular (recyclable). Our products use 100% Alpaca and 100% Llama fibers that are carefully harvested from local indigenous communities throughout Bolivia. 70% of our products use natural undyed Alpaca and Llama fibers, while 30% use dyes from natural dyeing processes or eco-friendly dyes. While we still have work to
do to meet our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral brand, we are continually taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint.
INCAROYAL proudly supports
underserved communities inone of the world's poorest countries. For us, it isn't just about making a profit, as we seek to create real connections with the people we work with.
Our workers are like family, and we treat them as such.
Our goal is to establish a multi-faceted textile industry in Bolivia that provides stable jobs and improved living conditions for its citizens.
Alpacas Support Bolivian Communities
🧵 Using Alpaca fiber helps support over 60,000 Bolivian families that raise Alpacas and Llamas in the Bolivian highlands and Andes.
🧵 We directly and indirectly work with over 75 artisans, most of whom are women. Most of them work from the comfort of their homes.
🧵 Fair Wages - We pay wages 2-5 times above the norm, providing our workers a living wage that alleviates poverty.
🧵 We indirectly support other Bolivian industries including transportation, distribution, export/import, fiber processing, government jobs, and many more.
